If there ever was a cricket textbook that coached people into playing cricket in the most correct way, then Pakistan cricket team would feature in the chapter about the DON’Ts of cricket. They have still not been able to field the ball, catch it and hit the stumps directly despite being a test team since 1952. But is criticism any better for the side which relies more on the moral support from the fans than on the factual support, that’s there on the field!
Pakistan cricket team shamelessly gears up to play New Zealand in their second Super Eight encounter on Saturday, yet they don’t have the faintest idea what went wrong in their last encounter, played on Thursday against England. They played as 11 players on the field, when they should have gone out as a unit. Shahid Afridi failed to gather the support of his players who played well under him before, only to show that Younis Khan wasn’t the ideal choice for captain. With Younis gone, the players are back to their worst, fielding half heartedly, looking rugged during matches and thinking of anything but victory.
Although the scorecard of the first Super Eight clash suggests that the match went into the last over, the battle was lost in the first few, when Saeed Ajmal failed to hold on to a ball that landed in his palms, only to find them sweaty, and slippery. He repeated the error twice again, showing his captain Shahid Afridi that he had been a fool in the first place to place him at the mid off position. On both the occasions, the ball found Saeed Ajmal who forgot that in order to dismiss the batsman, one has to catch the ball.
Abdur Razzaq has been the other disappointment for Pakistan in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup. For a player who has been around since the late 90s, he has failed to improve, and prove his credentials as an all-rounder. At times, he is a batting all-rounder, then he is suddenly a bowler who can bat, and sometimes he becomes a batsman only. Confusing, isn’t it?
Not as confusing as the mysterious Fawad Alam, I am sure. The youngster has proved himself to be the most useless cricketer on the international circuit. He is the perfect example of ‘can’t bowl, can’t field and can’t score’ in the Pakistan XI, and his mere presence in the squad shows that reputation matters more in Pakistan than anything else.
Kamran Akmal continues to disappoint behind the wickets yet no one in the Pakistan cricket board has the guts to tell him that ‘Boy, I think you should quit before it is too late’. Legendary wicket keeper Wasim Bari is PCB’s Chief Operating Officer but he should be the wicket keeper coach who can tell Kamran Akmal that he has to reach the wicket before the fielder decides to throw, and that while the spinner is bowling, one should think harder to know what kind of delivery he might be bowling. Alas, Kamran Akmal continues to play, and he has featured in more losses for his country, than wins, thus proving that in Pakistan, anything‘s possible.
Former captain Inzamam ul Haq may be out of the cricket scene but his legacy lives on. The bearded batsman continues to advice his protégés, including the current skipper Shahid Afridi about how to lead a side, and act as a friend to the players before stabbing them in the back. The one guy, Younis Khan, who didn’t listen to Inzamam, was later removed through a rebellious move by the players, most of who are still in the side.
Personally, I think Pakistan lost deliberately to England in order to stun its fans in the later matches of the tournament. But they don’t know that God doesn’t like people playing his part on Earth, and the rain gods may play spoil sport in one of the greenshirts’ remaining two matches, to spoil the fun for the defending champions!
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